Global Networks for Mobile Communications (GSM) digital cellular telecommunications networks have now been deployed alongside wireline telecommunications networks in over a 100 countries. GSM supports a so-called Short Message Service (SMS) functionality in two flavors: point-to-point for sending a point-to-point message (SMS/PP) from a network operator to a single personal cellular telecommunications device, and point-to-multipoint for sending a Cell Broadcast (SMS/CB) message from a network operator to a plurality of personal cellular telecommunications devices located in one or more cells. For more details regarding the different classes of SMS messages, reference can be made to ETSI TS 100 900 Version 7.2 (GSM 03.38 Version 7.2), the contents of which are incorporated by reference.
In WO98/10604 entitled “Interactive Cell Broadcast Service”, there is illustrated and described a method and apparatus for transmitting SMS/CB display messages to subscribers who are prompted to respond by depressing a pushbutton for immediately originating either a telephone call or an SMS/PP message to an embedded callback number. One particular application of the interactive cell broadcast service is for requesting a service which can then be provided by so-called over the air programming. Each SMS/CB message is displayed on the entire display screen either immediately upon its receipt, or when requested by the user (see page 11, lines 27–29 of the specification). Both approaches severely limit the interactive cell broadcast service in terms of the rate at which SMS/CB messages can be transmitted as follows. In the former, immediately displaying SMS/CB messages on a display screen annoyingly interrupts the operation of the device from the point of view of the subscriber who would therefore be inclined to disable the service. And in the latter, storing SMS/CB messages requires considerable memory resources, and requiring a user to retrieve each SMS/CB message individually (and thereafter delete them individually) is time consuming and battery wasteful.